Alleged sex predator arrested, but former Congressman Foley gets a pass

Sex predator Foley gets the "Elected Official’s" pass

By Ray Hanania

Charles Mowder must wish he had run for congress and won.

The 40 year old man from Midlothian, a southwest suburb of Chicago, was arrested this week by the Cook County State’s Attorney and charged with indecent solicitation of a child and child pornography after soliciting sex from a 16 year old girl using text messaging.

Mowder’s bail, according to news media reports, was set at $300,000 after the mother of the Orland Park 16 year old discovered Mowder’s text messages to her daughter.

Chances are Mowder won’t get the break that Mark Foley got.

Foley was a Republican congressman from Florida who was in charge of managing the Page System which helped young boys and girls learn the ins and outs of the nation’s highest legislative office.

Turns out Foley was trying to teach them more. At least the male pages, soliciting them for sex using emails.

Foley was forced to resign 2006. But the rumors and evidence of his solicitations go back to february 2003, more than 5 years ago. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which received a lot of support from Foley when he was in Congress and not trying to sexual assault young boys, decided they couldn’t prove enough to prosecute him.

Imagine, nearly 5 years passed in the Foley investigation.

One of the pages said that Foley solicited him for oral sex repeatedly. Foley admitted he sent the sexually explicit emails to the young boys who were working under his supervision. Others were clearly involved, but the powerful Florida Department of Law Enforcement couldn’t confirm any of the other allegations of misconduct by Foley.

Foley was the pal of former House Speaker Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, the Republican big shot from Chicago’s Western suburbs. Turns out several former aides and Foley staffers claimed Hastert and his staff were warned about Foley's misbehavior long before it became public. Knowing he was screwed, Hastert resigned rather than face any public oral scrutiny for his lapse in judgment about his close friend.

But Mowder doesn’t have any big shot friends in the legislature, or congress. He isn’t the best friend of a former Speaker of the House. He never did anything to bring funding to the Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine, who is one of the most incompetent and failed public leaders of our time. (He never went after one major City Hall corruption case while his mentor, Richard M. Daley, held office.)

So the law enforcement moved fast on Mowder. They didn’t wait five years to pursue charges.

Mowder was immediately arrested while Foley was able to simply wiggle and dodge the bullet for years.

Mowder was ordered to pay bail, but Foley didn’t have to do anything except hope that his buddies and pals and political cronies would keep him out of jail.

In most places, sexually harassing under-aged children is an immediately prosecutable crime.
Sexually harassing young children and students under your tutelage and supervision is also a crime, even if they are slightly over the age of consent.

Mowder is in trouble and the system acted quickly to prosecute him.

Foley was able to skate, though, and the system did all it could to drag its feet and protect him.

Anyone surprised that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded that "too much time has passed" since the February 2003 case was first exposed?

"There did not appear to be probable cause that a crime was committed," a reported issued by the FDLE concluded.

No probable cause?

How about this is just another example of where the morally corrupt leadership in our country is merely taking care of one of their own?

It’s one reason why criticism of Hastert wasn’t harsh enough.

(Listen to Mornings with Ray Hanania on WJJG 1530 AM Radio every Monday thru Friday at 8 AM. This and other topics are discussed and your comments and calls are encouraged. www.RadioChicagoland.com.)